Lu Tempu of Li Pisci spata (1954), directed by Vittorio De Seta.
Synopsis:
The short documentary opens at the Strait of Messina, in 1954, accompanied by popular songs. The captured story exposes the ancient fishing of swordfish, speard in the open sea during the deposition of eggs in warm waters, between Calabria and Sicily. A practice that requires a lot of patience: the waiting pervades the sailors, they do not hear but the noise of the waves and the whistling of the wind, while on the shore women wash and chat, waiting for their return and the festive atmosphere that awaits them. Then suddenly the silence is broken by the lookout of the lookout-man by his high rise, screaming and inciting the rowers. He gives them the guidance needed to hunt. With extreme strength and coordination they rehand, allowing the torch to approach and hit the prey, but still it is not finished because the fish tries to sink to save his own life. However, the experience of the sailor is enough to make vain the fish's attempt and, tired, it is dragged into the boat. At the end of the day, when it gets dark, they return to the shore accompanied by the laughter and the songs of the community that warmly welcomes the sailors, respecting the tradition. A process that is also a source of wonder for the children of the country, fascinated by the ancestral rite and attracted by the call of the sea. At night, some of the eldest of them, they come out with a boat, willing to hold onto this hunting ceremony, training and dwelling on the horizon, which encloses their future.
Comment:
It shows to the spectators the fishing activity, keeping the respect it deserves, without the second propaganda purposes that the documentary can have or want to convey. De Seta limits his thoughts to bring back an ancient process and to give a popular poetic, also to express its fascination. An exposition of the ambush that man implements to the damage of the animal, strong of its ingenuity and the cooperation of specialized hunters. During the hunt, the frantic montage contrasts the chaos of the movements and the interferences (noises, movement of the boat, indications shouted by the lookout, direction of the fish,...) with the patience, the calm and the attention that the ones must keep to succeed.
In the evening, on the way back, natural photography exploits the dim flare of twilight to give the images a unique contrast, which portrays the silhouettes in the foreground leaving behind the sunset: an identity of the individual that only light reveals, because it is during the day that harpoon fishing is done, so the time when fishermen can fulfill their task by revealing themselves, while in the evening finds space the fire, which illuminates celebrating people.
A folkloristic passage brought back with care, insisting on the realistic component that permeates all the documentary and that succeeds in giving you a look of loving honor, bringing the spectator to experience a sort of mystical-religious respect towards the fishing activity. A tradition that happens without spoken dialogue, because it binds the human being to its primordial origin.
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